Alabama

Learn to make your own ketchup (recipe)

Bobby Flay was one of the first chefs to make himself at home on The Food Network when it appeared on television screens two decades ago. Watching some of his early shows, where he cooked with friends in a set made to resemble a loft, he would often disappear in a cloud of steam rising from the pan he was cooking with on the stove. Camera angles for cooking shows have improved and the television line-up has moved from hosts simply offering cooking demonstrations to wild reality shows featuring boxes of mysterious ingredients and cooks racing against the clock.

All the snowstorms this past winter offered me the opportunity to go through some of my favorite older cookbooks. Years ago, trying recipes from Bobby Flay meant a trip to a specialty shop for some of the ingredients. Reading through his early books today, it's a revelation that many of these same ingredients are now readily available in markets. Flay's cookbooks and recipes inspired home cooks to take a chance on stuffing tamales and using ancho chili peppers in their kitchens.

A favorite recipe of mine from one of Flay's cookbooks is his roasted tomato ketchup from Boy Meets Grill. He encourages readers to not use the commercial brands of ketchup and make their own instead. There's no comparison, as the ketchup you pick up at the store is loaded with added sugar. You spend a ton of time making a better burger; why not give it a topping of ketchup with smoky tomato flavor?

This is an adaptation of Flay's recipe. I like to grill the tomatoes and the onions and roast the garlic. Either way, your homemade ketchup will be the reason you will want to make burgers all summer long.

Homemade Ketchup

MAKES: 1 1/2 cups

ACTIVE TIME: 40 min.

TOTAL TIME: 40 min.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, cored

1 Vidalia onion, peeled and cut in half

1 head of garlic, split in half, drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Tbsp honey

1 tsp Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss the tomatoes and the onion in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and place on the grill with the garlic wrapped in aluminum foil. Allow to cool after grilling.

2. Place the cooled tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse to mix.

3. Transfer all ingredients to a pot on the stove set on a medium flame.

4. Stir occasionally. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until thickened.

COOK'S NOTE

The ketchup can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

Check at your farmers' market and see if they put produce that is slightly over-ripe at a lower price. This ketchup is a great way to use over-ripe tomatoes.

Alice Knisley Matthias is the author of herbinkitchen.com and a regular blogger for KIDS DISCOVER.